Networks from Communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 235-273
Author(s):  
Jan Fuhse
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Niklas Luhmann ◽  
Relational Sociology ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Over Time

Social networks form, stabilize, and change in the process of communication. Rather than start from actors, communicative events are conceptualized as the basic units. In the sequence of communication, these events are attributed to actors, together with underlying dispositions. Relational expectations about the behavior of actors toward others ensue, effectively structuring communication and making for the regularities of communication we observe as relationships and networks. Social relationships do not exist either/or, but as particular bundles of expectations that gradually arise, stabilize, and change over time. The approach combines recent developments in relational sociology around Harrison White with the theory of communication by Niklas Luhmann and others. Three areas of application and extension of this model are discussed: (1) intercultural communication, (2) collective and corporate actors, and (3) methods for studying communication in networks.

Cracks in the Network Conversion Paradigm

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
New Religions ◽  
Dominant Point ◽  
Recruitment Patterns ◽  
Over Time

One of the standard generalizations about new religions is that people convert to NRMs primarily through preexisting social networks. The present paper examines data on a variety of new religions which demonstrates that social networks are not always the dominant point of contact for new converts. Additionally, recruitment patterns change over time so that different factors become dominant at different points in a movement’s development. Two reasons why this variability has escaped the attention of most researchers is an unconscious tendency to assume that the sociological profiles of members of different NRMs are essentially similar, and the fact that such groups are typically studied synchronically rather than diachronically.

Constraints on Social Networks

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam G. B. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Cognitive Constraints ◽  
Hominin Evolution ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Size And Structure

In both modern humans and non-human primates, time and cognitive constraints place an upper bound on the number of social relationships an individual can maintain at a given level of intensity. Similar constraints are likely to have operated throughout hominin evolution, shaping the size and structure of social networks. One of the key trends in human evolution, alongside an increase in brain size, is likely to have been an increase in group size, resulting in a larger number of social relationships that would have to be maintained over time. The network approach demonstrates that relationships should not be viewed as dyadic ties between two individuals, but as embedded within a larger network of ties between network members. Together with relationships based on kinship, this may have allowed for larger groups to be maintained among hominins than would be possible if such networks were based purely on dyadic ties between individuals.

scholarly journals Causes and Consequences of Coalitional Cognition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Cikara
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Intergroup Dynamics ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Coalitional Psychology ◽  
The Social ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Category Labels ◽  
Over Time

What is a group? How do we know to which groups we belong? How do we assign others to groups? A great deal of theorizing across the social sciences has conceptualized ‘groups’ as synonymous with ‘categories,’ however there are a number of limitations to this approach: particularly for making predictions about novel intergroup contexts or about how intergroup dynamics will change over time. Here I join a growing chorus of researchers striving to systematize the conditions under which a generalized coalitional psychology gets activated—the recognition of another’s capacity for and likelihood of coordination not only with oneself but with others. First I review some recent developments in the cognitive processes that give rise to the inference of coalitions and group-biased preferences (even in the absence of category labels). Then I review downstream consequences of inferences about capacity and likelihood of coordination for valuation, emotions, attribution, and inter-coalitional harm. Finally I review examples of how we can use these psychological levers to attenuate intergroup hostility.

scholarly journals Online Learning in Changing Environments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijun Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Online Algorithms ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Changing Environments ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Novel Algorithms ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

The usual goal of online learning is to minimize the regret, which measures the performance of online learner against a fixed comparator. However, it is not suitable for changing environments in which the best decision may change over time. To address this limitation, new performance measures, including dynamic regret and adaptive regret have been proposed to guide the design of online algorithms. In dynamic regret, the learner is compared with a sequence of comparators, and in adaptive regret, the learner is required to minimize the regret over every interval. In this paper, we will review the recent developments in this area, and highlight our contributions. Specifically, we have proposed novel algorithms to minimize the dynamic regret and adaptive regret, and investigated the relationship between them.

scholarly journals Critical moments in long-term condition management: A longitudinal qualitative social network study

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L Morris ◽  
Caroline Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Term Condition ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Critical Moments

Objectives Recent literature has demonstrated the nature and importance of social networks. This study aimed to understand how support needs of people with long-term conditions change over time and how this influences their ability to self-manage. Methods A longitudinal qualitative design was used to explore changes in individual’s social networks over a period of year. Thirty participants were recruited and completed initial in-depth face-to-face interviews, telephone follow-ups, and final face-to-face interviews. Results Findings illuminated that changes in health and changes in social networks can influence each other. The social networks implicated in the management of long-term conditions change over time at critical moments and can range between positive and negative reciprocal influences with self-management. Network changes, such as the breaking or reconnecting of ties influenced the context of health management and the degree of engagement with self-management activities. Discussion By examining the specific processes of support and resource provision, this study highlights how overtime the variety of relationships and support available implicated in long-term condition management changes. This has implications for the provision of formal support services and the need for a wider range of support to be identified that recognises change in support requirements as self-management strategies evolve.

Contemporary Theory in the Study of Intimacy, Desire, and Sexuality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Diamond
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Romantic Love ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Contemporary Theory ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Over Time

This chapter reviews contemporary theory and research on romantic love, sexual desire, and sexual orientation, highlighting some of the most intriguing recent developments and future questions, and taking a fundamentally interdisciplinary approach that seeks to integrate different disciplinary perspectives (biological, evolutionary, psychological, cultural). A chief goal of the chapter is to move beyond many of the hackneyed and simplistic “nature/nurture” debates that continue to dominate work in this area. It provides a forum in which different frames of reference—and the tensions between them—can be engaged to highlight the nuances and complexities of human experience. Topics discussed include romantic love, sexual desire, sexual orientation, and change over time in the expression of sexuality.

The Shape of Identity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Personal Trust ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Over Time

Migrations abroad for a better life take place within the context of complex lifelong trajectories. While Ghanaians coming to the United States are usually motivated by specific aspirations, frequently having to do with education or professional opportunities, their aspirations often change over time and in response to opportunities and setbacks. They are constantly revising their aspirations while also negotiating their identities along dimensions of race, ethnicity, and nationality. Furthermore, this process is deeply embedded in the relationships they hold on to from home and the new ones they form abroad. In that sense, revisions of aspirations and negotiations of identity are embedded in social networks. This chapter steps slightly away from the topic of religion to the more general issues of aspiration and identity, in order to support the ultimate argument that religious-based relationships of personal trust influence such revisions and negotiations.

Social Networks of Meaning and Communication

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Fuhse
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Cultural Models ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Niklas Luhmann ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Social Patterns ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender

Social structures can be fruitfully studied as networks of social relationships. These should not be conceptualized, and examined, as stable, acultural patterns of ties. Building on relational sociology around Harrison White, the book examines the interplay of social networks and meaning. Social relationships consist of dynamic bundles of expectations about the behavior between particular actors. These expectations come out of the process of communication, and they make for the regularity and predictability of communication, reducing its inherent uncertainty. Like all social structures, relationships and networks are made of expectations that guide social processes, but that continuously change as the result of these processes. Building on Niklas Luhmann, the events in networks can fruitfully be conceptualized as communication, the processing of meaning between actors (rather than emanating from them). Communication draws on a variety of cultural forms to define and negotiate the relationships between actors: relationship frames like “love” and “friendship” prescribe the kinds of interaction appropriate for types of tie; social categories like ethnicity and gender guide the interaction within and between categories of actors; and collective and corporate actors form on the basis of cultural models like “company,” “bureaucracy,” “street gang,” or “social movement.” Such cultural models are diffused in systems of education and in the mass media, but they also institutionalize in communication, with existing patterns of interaction and relationships serving as models for others. Social groups are semi-institutionalized social patterns, with a strong social boundary separating their members from the social environment.

Safety and Relational Continuity in Sport for Development With Marginalized Young People

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Katherine Raw ◽  
Emma Sherry ◽  
Katie Rowe ◽  
Shelley Turner
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Young People ◽  
Safe Space ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Safe Spaces ◽  
Relational Continuity ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
Sport For Development ◽  
Over Time

Sport for development (SFD) is often used to engage young people in programs that target a range of issues, such as disengagement or marginalization. However, if designed inappropriately, SFD can do more harm than good by reinforcing social divides or past trauma. Consequently, scholars suggest that future research should delve beyond program impacts and examine the importance of safe spaces within SFD programs. In light of this, we explored how program design, delivery, and staffing can impact the creation and maintenance of a safe space and continuity in an SFD program targeting young people and how this can change over time. Adopting an ethnographic approach, findings highlighted how safety and relational continuity was fostered via social networks, support, belonging, and external opportunities. Conversely, instability and discontinuity became an issue with staff departures and participants’ personal difficulties.

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